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teaching myself all that is coticule

mbuemi1577

New Member
Hello fellows,

lately i have been reading up on sharpening my razors and honing. Everything i read points me to coticule stones - so naturally i ended up here a few days ago.

After reading as much as i could on the subject- I joined today -and i am in the process of educating myself as to the different types and pieces of coticule.

what i have learned thus far:

coticule can be a "one stone" honing piece. I don't need extra grits etc, the grit size is controlled by the strngth of the slurry.

That being said - i searched coticule sellers, in an effort to buy one - and im met with alot of different qualities, shapes, and sizes.

Since i am just learning - i would like to find a stone i can become proficient with - and learn the art of honing with a coticule. I dont really have a set budget - but would like to spend enough on a Premium coticule and not worry about having to purchase one again.

there are different "veins" where the different coticules come from - but i havent come across a listing that explains the advantages and disadvantages of either.

Some come with BBW and coticule together - others have only the coticule on a slate back.

I would like to find a BBW and coticule together - like the #10 from the vault?

is the La Viennette vein a good one? again i have no information to go off of - so is there a place that discusses the different ones?

i think ive read all the pages and FAQ's here - anything else i can begin reading to understand the rest?

And are there any good places to buy the high quality coticules discussed here?

thank you to everyone for their help! im pretty overloaded right now so definately can use some advice.

I dont want to spend money on one to find out it isnt a good quality or something to that nature.
 
For me a decent size is 17cm x4cm or 20cmx4cm. A natural combo is a good choice .I have to suggest
a La Dressante or of coarse La veinette. Try the superior shave you ll have a large help by him.
Is only my opinion
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
Welcome,

I have a combo La Dressante and I must say it is great, I do not have any experience with any of the other veins yet. The BBW will also give very nice edges, at present I have 4 razors honed on the BBW side and they have all been super. I also use the BBW for the kitchen knives and Mrs. Lu loves it. Of course most razors are honed on the Coticule.

Be sure to ask any question you may have as the members here are wonderfully knowledgeable. You could not have come to a better place.

Enjoy your honing journey!

Best Regards,

Lu
 
As a starter you may not want to worry about veins too much. We all like to look at different veins for their beautifully different appearances but in the end they all achieve the same thing. You questioned if La Veinette was a good layer? Yes, of course it is, but so is the other ones too. Layer or vein really just refers to the area where the coticule came from in the mine and how it cuts as far as speed goes and how the stone looks and feels when you hone on it. IF you can find an old coticule without a layer name for cheap just buy that one instead, old coticules usually came glued to BBW because back in the day BBW was considered useless....That's different now and they use slate.

I'd recommend just buying one thats 6inches long and 1.5 inches wide. That is my favorite size and I think you'd like it too for hand honing your razors as mentioned in the academy on top of this website. Once you buy one post pictures and we can tell you about it some with a description of how the hone is as far as speed is concerned. Then we can offer you tips on using that stone.

Have fun and good luck :thumbup:
 
Hello,

My two pennies: if there could be any reason why you should worry about the veins, it's their slurry dulling. As you do, or don't know yet, slurry makes the steel go away faster, but it also detriments the very edge. Some layers display it more significantly, some less. It's easier to start learning on a stone from a layer that has little slurry dulling.

Other than that, only if your skin is extra sensitive, you might also look for a vein that gives a milder finish.

mbuemi1577 said:
i think ive read all the pages and FAQ's here - anything else i can begin reading to understand the rest?

And are there any good places to buy the high quality coticules discussed here?
You haven't read all the pages! :D Go to 'Recommended Websites' section.

mbuemi1577 said:
I dont want to spend money on one to find out it isnt a good quality or something to that nature.
After all - even if you buy a stone and for any reason are not satisfied with it - you won't lose a dime selling it again.

regards,
Matt
 
Hello and welcome from me

Good advice all round :thumbup: as for the size, I was the proud owner of #10 from the vaults for quite some time, however once I had gained enough experience and skill, I realised that a stone of that size was not needed, and tbh it made my holding hand hurt because of its weight, the stone I use most now is 40mm X 175mm or there abouts, and thats more than large enough

Good luck with your adventure, and I am sure that Coticule.be has the resources and kind membership, to provide you with all the help you could need

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
Questions I ask aspiring honers...

1) Do you simply want to keep your razor comfortable shaving sharp (touch-up your razor)?
or
2) Do you see yourself restoring/sharpening lots of old razors (eBay specials) and perhaps sharpening razors for others (setting bevels on damaged edges)?

If your answer is (1) then a Coticule is all you will ever need for the rest of your straight shaving career.

If your answer is (2) then you may also need one other courser stone such as a diamond hone or a cheap sharpening stone available at your nearest hardware store.

Welcome to the Coticule.be my friend.
 
wow fantastic responses thank you all so much!

i will check the additional reading and begin looking for a few stones
 
If you want one with a BBW reverse side (a combination stone) then I think that the best bet would be to order direct from the company that extracts them http://www.ardennes-coticule.com and send them an email asking for yours to be a stone with a BBW side suitable for honing a straight razor - also ask for a slurry stone and they normally include one. They are really good in that way - the size and shape is up to you, but don't be fooled in to thinking you need something massive to hone well on - I've never needed anything bigger than something that sits comfortably in the palm of my hand.

Cheers

Squeezy
 
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